Photograph a Dreamy Sky

What can I use if I don't have translucent plastic, cling film, colored cellophane, or a sunglass lens?

For the 'place a piece of translucent plastic or cling film over the lens' step, use tracing paper, wax paper, a thin clear plastic bag, or a clean shower-curtain scrap, and for the 'hold a piece of colored cellophane or a sunglass lens' step, try a craft transparency sheet, a toy's transparent lid, or a tinted phone screen protector.

My straight-up photos are blurry and my filtered photos have smudges or glare—how can I fix that?

To reduce blur when pointing your camera straight up, sit or kneel on your towel or blanket to steady yourself and use the phone timer or a small rock to prop the phone, and for filtered shots gently clean the lens and hold the plastic or cellophane slightly off the glass edge to avoid smudges and glare.

How can I adapt this activity for younger kids or make it harder for older kids?

For younger children, simplify by drawing the weather in the notebook, having an adult help point the camera straight up and take the three basic photos, and for older kids add challenges like using manual exposure for sunrise/sunset shots and planning the 'different time' visit to create a time-lapse series.

What are some ways to enhance or personalize our dreamy sky collection before sharing on DIY.org?

Enhance your collection by editing color and contrast in a photo app, arranging the straight-up, horizon, and low-angle images into a labeled collage with the one-word weather notes and your short dreamy sentences, or printing them and adding real colored cellophane overlays for display.